This invention relates to a set of connecting means for detachably connecting cords of a Jacquard machine, comprising a first and a second connecting means, which are provided to be coupled together in a detachable manner with a first and a second cord respectively, the first connecting means comprising an elastically deformable coupling element, the second connecting means comprising a passage, through which the coupling element, compressed in a radial direction, may be shifted to a receiving part, and the coupling element in the receiving part having the possibility to adopt a larger radial dimension than in the said compressed situation.
A Jacquard machine comprises a large number of devices for lifting warp yarns. By means of a cord, each of these devices is connected to one or more harness cords, which are connected to heddles with respective heddle eyes, through which extend one or several warp yarns. When installing such a harness a large number of lifting cords have to be connected with harness cords. This is a very time-consuming operation with long idling periods of the weaving machines and a proportional loss of productivity as a consequence. In order that this connection of cords may be carried out quickly, various types of connecting means were developed. It is important that a reliable connection can be realized by means of these connecting means. Moreover these connecting means should be of a simple construction and be easily to manipulate. This invention relates more particularly to a set of connecting means to connect lifting cords and harness cords of a Jacquard machine in a detachable manner.
A similar set of connecting means is known, among others, from the European patent EP 0 788 562 B1. The first connecting means comprises an elongated inserting part, which ends in a radially enlarging head, while the second connecting means comprises a pair of co-acting springy clamping fingers designed to be pushed away from one another through the head of the first connecting means and to spring back once the head has passed the clamping fingers. This head is then retained in an axial direction by the springy clamping fingers springing back, so that the connecting means are coupled. To disconnect the connecting means the clamping fingers should be pushed away from one another by means of a slidable sleeve, so that the head may subsequently be drawn from the second connecting means between the clamping fingers.
An inconvenience of these connecting means is that the first connecting means is rather complicated, among others, because it should comprise a slidable sleeve. Another inconvenience is that the exact coupling of these connecting means depends on two elastically deformable clamping fingers.
In the international patent application WO 99/27170, a set of connecting means is described, having the characteristics indicated above. The first connecting means comprises a number of flexible projections, acting as coupling elements, while the second connecting means comprises an equal number of recesses. In their compressed situation, the flexible projections may be shifted towards the recesses and eventually spring back into these recesses. Then the connecting means are in a coupled position. Therefore the openings here function as the receiving part, namely the part in which the coupling elements may adopt a larger radial dimension.
These known connecting means further also comprise a number of grooves, recesses and projections for guiding the guiding means with respect to each another. Among others, these guiding means are necessary to transfer a further movement (a translation in the coupling direction) of the coupled connecting means with respect to one another, in a rotation of the connecting means with respect to one another. Because of this translating movement and the forced rotation associated with it, from the coupled position, the connecting means may be brought into a disconnecting position.
These known connecting means have the disadvantage that they are complicated and consequently also relatively expensive. An additional disadvantage is that these connecting means cannot be carried out very compactly (in the transverse direction) and, for instance, have an outer diameter of 8 to 10 mm. Because of this, the number of connecting means, which may be operated per unit of surface on a Jacquard machine, is rather limited. This is an important disadvantage, as it is a permanent aim to increase the number of hooks of a jacquard machine.
An additional disadvantage of these connecting means is that they cannot be easily disconnected. The connecting means are moving considerably with respect to each other before disconnection may be carried out. Another disadvantage is that the flexible projections possibly do not spring back after their deformation.